Lukas 7:42

7:42 When they could not pay, he canceled ¹  the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Lukas 13:2

13:2 He ²  answered them, “Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners ³  than all the other Galileans, because they suffered these things?

Lukas 14:8

14:8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, ⁴  do not take ⁵  the place of honor, because a person more distinguished than you may have been invited by your host. ⁶ 

Lukas 16:8

16:8 The ⁷  master commended the dishonest ⁸  manager because he acted shrewdly. ⁹  For the people ¹⁰  of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries ¹¹  than the people ¹²  of light.

[7:42]  ¹ tn The verb ἐχαρίσατο (ecarisato) could be translated as “forgave.” Of course this pictures the forgiveness of God’s grace, which is not earned but bestowed with faith (see v. 49).

[13:2]  ² tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[13:2]  ³ sn Jesus did not want his hearers to think that tragedy was necessarily a judgment on these people because they were worse sinners.

[14:8]  ⁴ tn Or “banquet.” This may not refer only to a wedding feast, because this term can have broader sense (note the usage in Esth 2:18; 9:22 LXX). However, this difference does not affect the point of the parable.

[14:8]  ⁵ tn Grk “do not recline in the place of honor.” 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[14:8]  ⁶ tn Grk “by him”; the referent (the host) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[16:8]  ⁸ sn Is the manager dishonest because of what he just did? Or is it a reference to what he had done earlier, described in v. 1? This is a difficult question, but it seems unlikely that the master, having fired the man for prior dishonesty, would now commend those same actions. It would also be unusual for Jesus to make that point of the story the example. Thus it is more likely the reference to dishonesty goes back to the earliest events, while the commendation is for the cleverness of the former manager reflected in vv. 5-7.

[16:8]  ⁹ sn Where this parable ends is debated: Does it conclude with v. 7, after v. 8a, after v. 8b, or after v. 9? Verse 8a looks as if it is still part of the story, with its clear reference to the manager, while 8b looks like Jesus’ application, since its remarks are more general. So it is most likely the parable stops after v. 8a.

[16:8]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “sons” (an idiom).

[16:8]  ¹¹ tn Grk “with their own generation.”

[16:8]  ¹² tn Grk “sons.” Here the phrase “sons of light” is a reference to the righteous. The point is that those of the world often think ahead about consequences better than the righteous do.